Their inhuman atrocities have carved cavesin the rock of my heartI must tread this forest with wary stepsEyes fixed on the changing timesThe tables have turned nowProtests sparkNow hereNow there.I have been silent all these yearslistening to the voice of right and wrongBut now I will fan the flamesof human rightsHow did we ever reach to this placethis land which was never mother to us?Which never gave useven the life of cats and dogs?I hold their unpardonable sins as witnessand turn, here and now.a rebel.

I just cannot stop my tears, no one can understand for whom and why I am crying. She represented a whole world to me. I did not know her personally, but was fortunate to attend an event where she was an invited speaker. She was such an inspiration. She will remain an inspiration through her words.

Born in Nagpur, Maharashtra, on 25th November 1950, she grew up in a family that had dedicated itself to social causes.

She was educated at Nagpur where she did her masters, M.Phil and PhD. She has accepted a permanent position as professor and head of Marathi at SB City College, Nagpur and is serving till date.

Dr Jyoti Lanjewar needs no introduction in Marathi literature. She is a noted writer, critic, poet, feminist scholar and social activist. She has authored more than 14 books out of which 4 are poetry collections, and are 7 books on criticism.

Her poems have been translated into almost all Indian languages and also foreign languages including Sinhalese, Russian, German, Swedish and English. Her poetic works are taught at several universities, both in India and abroad. Her poetry has been anthologized in several compilations and anthologies of modern Indian poetry.

A compilation of her poems, translated into English by Dr. Aparna Lanjewar Bose, has come out in the form of the book 'Red Slogans on the Green Grass', published by Scion, Pune.

In the book, she says:

"poetry is a trestle/ spanning the distance between/ what i feel/ and what i say" says the African American woman writer Nikki Giovanni.

Actually poetry is much more. It is simply the reason for its being. An words are but felt excuses that unload pressures of pain and sensations, by elegantly transmuting life into poetry and then leaving her alone to grow the way she wants to and to become what she attempts to be.

"My poetry is about humanity and its seemingly endless struggles for survival, for change, for justice and sometimes humanity happens to be the oppressed marginalized... it's a wonderful process of all these voices coming out of me."

Other Related Articles

Brahmin identity politics: A short note Saturday, 01 August 2015 Gaurav Somwanshi Here is Kuffir's brief analysis of the Brahmin hegemony (recently shared on social media): "let's recognize this: the brahmins are superior. look at the number of... Read More...

Quotas do not hurt efficiency, says study Monday, 09 February 2015 Rukmini S. It measured impact of reservation on productivity in Railways A first-of-its-kind study of the impact of reservations in public sector jobs on productivity and efficiency has shown... Read More...

Ambedkar Video Sparks Protests on AU Campus Saturday, 21 February 2015 VISAKHAPATNAM: The students of Andhra University boycotted their classes and staged a dharna in front of the Ambedkar statue on the varsity premises here Wednesday, condemning an objectionable... Read More...